


I'll Stand By You

by AshKnight



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Swan Queen - Freeform, swanqueen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 15:43:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6664564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshKnight/pseuds/AshKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina is a teacher at a high school for kids with behavioral difficulties where the students berate and verbally abuse her.  As things begin to escalate, Emma, the girlfriend of the school's toughest problem-child, starts to fall for her.  Trigger warning enclosed.  SwanQueen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Behavioral Difficulties

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for jeanyoo1 (fanfiction.net). Basic plot premise was their idea. TRIGGER WARNING for later chapters containing attempted rape.

Another day, another five cents. That's what Ms. Regina Mills had to tell herself to get out of bed every weekday morning. It wasn't exactly the most motivating mantra, but it worked. Not that she was doing it for the money. Obviously, she wasn't. Had she chosen her career path based on a desire for financial gain, she would have been a lawyer, or a businesswoman. She was certainly smart enough. But that wasn't the case. Regina had always had a desire to help others, and she had decided that the best way to do this, based on her own skill set, was to use her plentiful academic knowledge and experience to teach others. Her parents had heavily discouraged her from this career path, but her desire and confidence in her decision had been steadfast.

Now, every day she doubted herself and her own abilities. Of course, she would never tell her parents this. Every report back to them consisted of statements such as, 'The kids are great,' 'They really like me,' and 'I'm doing great.' All blatant lies. In fact, her situation was quite the opposite. The kids were horrible, they hated her, and she was doing quite poorly. Each day was a battle with herself, and with her students, who seemed unwilling to cooperate under any circumstances, regardless of her approach.

 _I at least have to try_ , she reminded herself every weekday as she prepared herself for work. First, after getting up around four-thirty, she showered, spending an extended amount of time beneath the hot water as she tried to relax her quickly tensing muscles. Her body seized up and rebelled in protest every day she had to return to her chaotic classroom, but she ignored the objections and pushed herself through her morning routine. She took her time getting ready – it was the only time she would have to herself for the remainder of the day – but still managed to look… well… less than fashion-forward.

One of Regina's drawbacks was that she had absolutely no sense of fashion or making the best of her own physical appearance. Though her body was toned and fit, no one would ever know, based on the dresses she wore to work (and even on her days off). They were less than flattering, in multiple ways, but even though she'd been ridiculed for this since elementary school, she'd never really had anyone to help her learn any other way of dressing. She simply wasn't good at fitting in. Whenever she tried – which she'd recently given up on – she failed and ended up looking worse. Hence, she stopped trying.

Makeup was a non-issue, in the sense that she wore none. Again, whenever she'd tried, she'd ended up looking worse, which only ended in the ridicule of her classmates when she was younger. By the time she graduated college, she'd thrown away every cosmetic item she owned. Now that she was a teacher, though the scorn of the students she taught caused her invisible scars she couldn't escape, she still refused to attempt a personal makeover again, knowing full well what the result would be. Instead, she tried to tell herself that her appearance didn't matter, as long as she was good at her job.

Therein lied the problem. Every day, the disrespect of her students constantly imprinted her brain with the idea that she was a  _horrible_ teacher, and that she should probably change careers. But she'd committed. She'd spend  _thousands_ on schooling in preparing for  _this_ job, and fought her parents tooth and nail the entire way. There was no way she was giving up now. There was more shame in quitting than failing, and she was already burdened with too much shame to add any more to her already-growing collection.

That being the case, she forced herself through the rest of her morning routine as she argued and threatened herself with anything she could think of so that she wouldn't cry.

"Stop it," she scolded herself. "You're a grown woman. They're younger than you. You're in charge. You're-"

But her motivation quickly wilted as she put her glasses on and looked in the mirror.

"God, I'm hideous," she sighed heavily, tearing her eyes away from the familiar figure in the looking glass.

But this wasn't true. In fact, beneath her clothing and glasses, her figure was accentuated with curves and smooth skin, and her face was that of a Greek goddess. Unintentionally, Regina hid this fact that she was unaware of every day when she got dressed in her less-than-flattering clothes and round, thick-rimmed glasses. In any case, Regina was oblivious to her own beauty, and as such, no one else saw it either.

Once she'd eaten a meal of a small cup of fruit and yogurt, she gathered her scratchy, gray, over-sized jacket and left her apartment. During her trip on the T, Boston's subway system, she plugged her ears with a pair of cheap headphones to drown out the muttering and whispering around her. While she stood, holding onto the railing so as not to fall, she stared at her feet, in order to avoid the judgmental gazes of those around her. The music was the only thing that calmed her anxiety. Once she reached her stop, she sighed, stepped off the train, and took her headphones out of her ears. After placing them carefully in their case and putting them away in her briefcase, she made her way down the sidewalk toward her workplace.

The academic establishment was an alternative school for young adults with behavioral difficulties. Originally, Regina was excited about this. It was her very first job out of school, and what better way to use her talents than to help troubled kids succeed in school? Maybe, she hoped, she could help some of them get into college. Though Massachusetts has some of the highest rates of college enrollment among individuals aged eighteen to twenty-four, students from this particular school had alarmingly low rates of students who went on to college, and Ms. Mills had hoped to assist in bringing this number up and building self-confident in the students in her classroom. Unfortunately, this was a short-lived dream.

None of her students were receptive to any of her advice or even her instructions in the classroom. In fact, they were downright defiant. At least one student per class period was sent to the principal's office, but no matter how many times any given student was sent out of the classroom or given detention, there was no change in behavior. It even seemed to be getting worse. She sensed their resentment as they sat in their seats (or on their desks) glaring or laughing at her as she stood at the front of the room, trying to write notes on the chalkboard.

On this particular day, three students in her class of all seniors were throwing paper airplanes, two were sitting on their desks talking to each other, two in the back were groping each other, two were fighting, and the rest were ignoring her.

"Guys, come on!" the teacher pleaded. " _Please_ just quiet down. I really don't care if you want to sit on your desks. Just  _please_ listen."

This earned a wave of roaring laughter throughout the classroom, which was so loud that it caught the attention of the principal, who happened to be walking past the room. When he heard the sound, he poked his head into the room and looked accusingly at the woman standing at the front.

"Ms. Mills, what is the meaning of this ruckus?"

"Mr. Otterson, I-"

"I'd like to speak to you in the hallway, please," he said firmly, earning another eruption of howling laughter from the entire class.

After following him into the hallway and shutting the classroom door behind her, Regina protested, "Mr. Otterson, they… I was just-"

"This kind of behavior is unacceptable at this school, Mr. Mills, and it should not be tolerated. Allowing this kind of dissent is absolutely deplorable. Being soft with these pupils will only exasperate their current personal and behavioral difficulties."

"But I-!"

"Is that clear, Ms. Mills?"

"I-"

"Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now, please, go get your classroom under control."

With a heavy sigh, the teacher nodded her head and waited for him to disappear around the corner of the hallway before leaning back against the wall and shutting her eyes. Once she'd gathered herself, she turned and re-entered the classroom. Sucking in one last deep breath, she picked up her textbook and slammed it back down on the desk, full-force.

"ENOUGH!" she screamed, giving them her sternest glare from behind her spectacles. "I want complete and total silence in this room or I will send every one of you to the principal's office. Is that understood?"

Again, the whole classroom laughed collectively and shook their heads.

One student spoke up to taunt her, saying, "I'd like to see you try that."

"That's enough!"

"Your threats are  _really_ not intimidating, Regina," one boy challenged her with a sly smirk.

"You will call me  _Ms. Mills,_ Killian. That is non-negotiable," she countered, but the boy just laughed and playfully shoved his friend's shoulder.

"You're hilarious, Regina," the other brown-haired boy told her.

"Robin! You are  _completely_ out of line!"

"Yeah, yeah, Regina. What are you going to do about it?" he countered.

"I want the three of you of you to go to the principal's office, and if you come to class tomorrow without your homework completed, you'll be written up and sent to detention."

"Yeah, whatever," Killian chuckled, grabbed his backpack, which was empty except for the small stash of drugs and a few knives, and left the classroom.

His friends followed him out, but the whole class could hear their laughter, even after the door was closed and they were halfway down the hallway. Later, Regina found out that the three of them had simply left the building. They were also not present in class the next day. Knowing exactly why – their desire to challenge her and assert their control over her – the teacher didn't bother to ask her students why they were absent. Instead, she continued her lesson. Surprisingly, there was little commotion in the classroom that day, probably given that the leaders of their opposition were not in attendance.

Still, it wasn't quiet, and it was difficult for Regina to teach that way. It only went silent when she asked a question about their assigned reading. Finally, she decided to ask one of the students to answer directly.

"Danielle?" she addressed the student. "Why do you think Holden left school?"

"Because school fucking blows?" the girl laughed, rolling her eyes at the teacher.

"Did you even read the passage?" Regina sighed, looking disappointed.

"Hell no. Why the fuck would I read some piece of trash by some stuck-up writer?"

"Danielle. He-"

"I think Holden left school because he felt rejected, awkward, and out of place," a blonde in the very last row of desks spoke up, staring at the teacher with stony eyes. When the classroom went completely silent and the teacher started to smile, though, she quickly added, "Kind of like you should."

The smile quickly fell from Regina's face as she pushed a shaking hand roughly through her hair and replied, "Emma, that was completely inappropriate. I really don't want to ask you to leave, so please keep that kind of commentary to yourself. That being said, I very much appreciate your input on the subject and I'm glad to hear that you've read."

The entire class was staring at the blonde accusingly, surely wondering why this almost-kiss-ass was sucking up to the teacher (before abruptly making a rude comment that nearly negated the contribution).

"I, uh…" Emma started, looking frantically around the classroom at the numerous sets of eyes glued to her. "I just spark-noted it. I'd never read for this bullshit class."

"Alright," Regina sighed, nodding her head. "Fair enough. Did  _anyone_ read?" The older brunette looked pleadingly around the classroom, then added, "Anyone?"

All of them laughed, and no one nodded in response to the question, so Regina's fists automatically clenched in frustration. She wanted to throw one of the books on her desk at every single one of them. Including the three who weren't present. She wanted to throttle them for their insolence and disrespect. But the other part of her was  _desperate_ to reach them. To help them, in any way possible.

"Guys," she finally said. "Is there  _anything_ I can do to get you guys to read? I  _really_ don't want to fail any of you. I want you all to do well."

"Yeah, right," a student sitting directly in the middle of the class answered. "In your dreams, Teach.'"

"Really, guys. I'll do anything."

"Give Killian a blow-job in front of the entire class, and maybe we'll consider it," one of the boys joked with a grin.

"Principal's office. Now."

The boy shook his head, leaned back, and put his feet up on the desk.

"I said  _now!_ " Regina shouted, slamming a book down on her own desk. "Get out."

With a shrug, the boy left the room, finally leaving the entire class silent.

"Right. Where were we? That's right.  _Catcher in the Rye._ Open your books to page twenty-seven please."

Lazily, two or three of them opened their books – probably not to page twenty-seven – but the rest of them sat still, just staring at her blankly.

"Don't you have your books?" the teacher asked, exasperated.

"Nope," one girl told her. "Why would we?"

"Because this is an English class, and you were supposed to read the passage from it for homework!"

"What makes you think we give a shit about your stupid class?"

"Look, I know you guys don't want to be here. I totally get that. I was where you are once too, but-"

"Yeah, right," one of the boys taunted her. "You were a goody-goody teacher's pet who probably sucked off your professors just to pass."

"Guys, come on! Can we just get through this book, please?"

"None of us give  _any_  fucks about this class," another girl chimed in.

"What do I have to do to get you to read?" the teacher repeated, more desperately this time. "Just tell me what I have to do. I just want you all to do well in this class."

"Then just give us As and pretend like we passed all your stupid tests."

"They'd fire me for that."

"Good."

Regina sighed and was about to respond when the bell rang for the next class period. The students stood up immediately and hurried to shove each other out the door. The last boy to leave made sure to kick over two of the chairs in the front row and one of the desks, sending them flying across the room with a crash, leaving Regina alone in the classroom to pick up the mess before the next of her three classes, which were all equally as disrespectful.


	2. Hard Enough to Bruise

Back at her apartment that night, Regina sat down heavily on the couch with her grade book and looked down at it miserably. Reluctantly, she marked zeros in every student's row for class participation, except Emma's, in which she marked the number fifty. At least she'd bothered to read the Spark Notes, right? That was something. Not to mention, the girl had actually answered the question without even being prompted.  _Too bad they refuse to read,_ Regina mused unhappily.  _They'd probably like the book if they tried it. Most people do._ But the likelihood of this happening, she knew, was slim to none.

By the time she was finished recording their lack of work in her grade book, she'd quite lost her appetite and simply decided to go straight to sleep without supper. Once she was lying in her bed, however, her thoughts turned back to her students. This was usually the case, and as such, she rarely got a full night of sleep. Instead, she stayed awake worrying about her own efforts at the school and the impending doom that would befall her at the end of the year when the principal discovered her lack of progress.

The next morning was the same as any other. She stood in front of the bathroom mirror, trying not to cry, and pushed her dark hair out of her face as she squinted at her appearance. Like every other time she'd done this, she was disappointed. But there was nothing to be done about it, she reasoned, so she proceeded to get ready for work without further hesitation. She forced herself through the motions and pushed herself past her reservations. Therein lied her strength. She refused to give up.

Her headphones filled her ears with classical music as she rode the subway to school and somewhat calmed her nerves. At least, for the meantime. By the time she was just a few blocks away from the building, the pit of her stomach began to sink as she pulled her headphones from her ears and tucked them carefully back in her bag.  _Another day, another five cents,_ she told herself, like always.  _Another chance to change someone's life._ That was what she really wanted, not the five cents. Money was not a concern for Regina Mills. She didn't mind living in a broken-down apartment in a shitty area of town. She didn't mind eating microwaveable meals every night (even though, given the right ingredients, she was a wonderful cook). She didn't even mind taking the subway to save herself from driving her pathetic excuse for a car (which was sure to die soon, most likely the next time she drove it). What she minded was not being able to reach the people she cared about most: her students.

As she stepped into the classroom and set her bag on her desk, she was not surprised to find the rowdy group acting as normal. They were shouting, laughing, and throwing things, just like every other day. Before she could open her mouth and say anything in an attempt to quiet them, a water bottle came flying towards the front of the classroom, from Killian's direction. As her bad luck would have it, hit her directly in the head.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" she exclaimed. "What on Earth has gotten into you guys? Can we not get through  _one_ class period without throwing things like two year olds?"

"Of course not," Killian laughed. "Not with you as the teacher."

"Yeah," Robin chimed in. "Why can't you be more like Mr. Williams? He lets us do whatever the hell we want."

"Robin," Regina sighed, bending over and picking the water bottle up off the floor. "Please watch your language in the classroom."

Without looking at him, she walked over to Killian's desk and carefully handed him the bottle, which he grabbed from her roughly without so much as a, 'Thanks.' She wasn't surprised. She hadn't expected gratitude for him, and never would. Still, she hoped she could at least give him some kind of knowledge to leave the classroom with, even if he wasn't going to be grateful for it. He was hands-down her very worst student, and regardless of the material, he failed every test. Even some of her weaker students received passing grades on occasion. Killian, though, seemed  _determined_  to fail, as though it was some kind of mission to see if he could get the worst grade in the entire class (which he certainly was).

To Regina's surprise, she managed to quiet the classroom enough to be heard lecturing even by the students in the back of the room. Still, however, there was more conversation between the students than there was between the pupils and the teacher. All of her questions went ignored, and so she answered them herself, praying that something –  _anything –_ was sinking in with  _someone._ But of course, students who don't wish to learn don't usually do so. In fact, the attention span of the classroom seemed to drop as the days went on, and the teacher had begun to wonder if her methods were actually making things worse.

Luckily for her – and she was sure it was exactly that (luck) – the class period ended without any other outbursts, though seemingly none of her students had done their homework or paid any attention to the lesson. But as the students filed out of the classroom, Regina noticed something quite out of the ordinary. Emma, the beautiful blonde who supposedly made the effort to read Spark Notes, was digging through her backpack. As she did so, she took out the items that filled it: a water bottle, an empty notebook, a wallet, a cell phone, an oversized sweatshirt, and a folding knife, which she nonchalantly placed on the desk. This last item was not what caught the teacher's attention. What caught her attention was the next one she removed from the very bottom of the backpack.

The book's cover was worn and tattered, seemingly well loved. Surely, purchased secondhand. The teacher would have recognized it anywhere.  _The Catcher in the Rye,_ by J.D. Salinger.

"Emma…" Regina said slowly, stepping forward as the girl continued to rummage through her bag. "You know you're not allowed to have weapons at school."

"Oh, relax," the student said, rolling her eyes but not looking up to meet the teacher's gaze. "It's a pocket knife. Besides, you want me to get raped out there when I walk home alone?"

What was her teacher supposed to say to this? The girl had a point. The streets weren't safe at night, especially not for a woman on her own. Having made the point, Regina decided to quickly drop it and move on to what she'd really wanted to talk about.

"Nice book."

"Sorry?" the blonde said, shoving it back in her bag.

"I said 'nice book.'"

"Don't know what you mean, Teach'. I don't read."

With that, Emma shoved the last of her things into her backpack, rose to her feet, and left the classroom without another word. This left Regina standing alone and slightly dumbfounded, until she was shaken from her stupor by the next group of unruly students that poured into her classroom.

To her surprise, in the middle of the day, when she stepped out of the classroom to fill her glass of water, she found Emma pinned against the wall by the entirety of Killian's body, with their mouths connected in a sloppy, far-beyond-PG13 kiss. She blinked a few times, surprised at the couple, but said nothing. Instead, she continued on her way to the teacher's lounge. When she sat down in the corner, away from the main table where the rest of the teachers were sitting, the rest of the staff ignored her completely and hardly even looked up in her direction. She opted not to eat during the lunch period, given that she hadn't brought food, but sipped her water quietly, enjoying the peace and quiet that was a room full of adults talking calmly amongst themselves.

When the bell rang to signal the end of the lunch period, she sighed softly and rose to her feet, glanced out the window once, then returned to her post in the classroom where she waited for her next group of students. At the end of the day, when she dug through her own bag for her headphones, she found them missing. At first, she thought she must have put them in the drawer of her desk when she'd arrived (even though she never did), but when she checked, they were nowhere to be found. As if this wasn't enough, when she went to pull out her grade book to check her bag again, she found that missing too. (Luckily, there were hardly any grades other than zeros, and she had the data on a computer in the school's main office.) Still, it brought her the realization that the items were not simply lost. They were taken.

She knew most of her kids were troublemakers, but she'd never considered the possibility of them actually stealing from her. When the realization hit, she felt her eyes water. First of all, she was disappointed that it had happened, and second of all, she was ashamed that she'd unintentionally allowed it. She should have locked her things away in the desk. She shouldn't have brought them at all. She should have-

The thoughts stopped as she looked down at her watch and saw the time. There was a teacher meeting after school that she was about to miss, so she grabbed her nearly-empty bag, thanked the sky that her wallet wasn't missing, and hurried down the hallway to the conference room.

By the time she got out, it was seven o'clock, and it was dark outside. She pulled her thin, oversized jacket tighter around herself as she stepped out into the winter air and made her way to the subway station. Regina was relieved to reach her stop, since she was exhausted from hearing the whisperings of the other people on the train that were clearly unkind things about at her. She was certainly missing her headphones. As she walked in the direction of her apartment, she was surprised to find one of her students sitting on the steps a few buildings away from hers. The girl was crying.

"Emma?" Regina asked softly, approaching with caution. "Are you alright?"

When the blonde lifted her head and her hair fell out of her face, the bruises were quickly revealed, and the girl's teacher could see them easily, even in the darkness.

"Oh, Emma," the woman breathed, kneeling down and reaching for the girl's tear-covered hands. "What happened, honey?"

"Don't!" Emma screamed, jerking her hands away roughly and scrambling to her feet.

Before Regina had a chance to stop her, she'd run back inside her apartment building and slammed the door shut. Of course, the teacher spent the rest of the night lying awake, worrying about her student and imagining all the horrible scenarios that might have taken place to cause such injuries. She'd wanted to knock on the door. To do something, anything, to make sure the girl was alright. Clearly, though, she wasn't. But what could she do? Call the cops? Make it worse? No. All she could do was make an attempt to talk to the girl about it after class in the morning.

After a long night of no sleep, she finally rolled out of bed, rubbing her temples as the headache set off fireworks in her brain.

"Oh, fuck," she groaned, stumbling into the bathroom as though she had a brutal hangover. Her eyes were nearly bloodshot from stress and lack of sleep. She'd dozed off for maybe twenty minutes or so, only to dream about the horrible things that might have happened to her most intriguing – and obviously most intelligent – student.

As luck would have it, when she finally made it to school, thirty minutes before class started, Emma was sitting quietly at her desk with her head down, completely alone.

"Emma," Regina said softly, approaching the girl once again.

Cautiously, she put her hand on the girl's shoulder, causing her to lift her head. Instead of meeting the teacher's gaze, the blonde simply stared out the window. As the sunlight streamed in and washed over her face, the bruises were even more evident. Her eye was completely black and nearly swollen shut.

"Oh, my God, Emma… What  _happened?_ "

"Don't touch me, okay?" the girl managed to say, pushing the woman's hand away. "I'm-"

But before she could finish her sentence, Killian and his groupies sauntered into the room with exceptionally smug looks on their faces. As soon as she saw them, Regina knew. She wanted to grab the boy by the throat and strangle him. To beat him until his brains were splattered on the pavement. She'd never intended ill will towards a student before, but what he'd clearly done to Emma was unacceptable.

Her suspicions were only further supported when he quickly said, "Jeez, babe. What happened to your face?" with a smug, satisfied grin on his face.

"I fell," the girl mumbled, staring down at her desk.

"Hmm. That sucks."

"Sit down, Killian," the teacher ordered, backing away from Emma's desk.

"What were you guys talking about?" she heard the boy ask his girlfriend, his voice grating as he made the silent threat.

"Emma was explaining how she plans to sue the school," Regina cut in. "Apparently, when they mop the stairs, they don't put caution signs out. Poor thing told me she nearly needed stitches after falling down those stairs."

"Aw, I'm fine," Emma forced herself to laugh. "Ain't no big deal."

"You should totally sue those pricks," the girl's boyfriend announced, finally sitting down in his chair beside her. "I'll be right there for you, baby. All the way."

Regina had to resist the urge to puke all over him and his slimy, greasy, dirty, rotten, disgusting face. She resisted, though, but shot Emma a knowing glance before walking away. When she reached the front of the classroom, she looked back at the girl, but this time, Emma was looking down at her desk. Killian, of course, continued to make rude and sometimes obscene comments throughout the class period, which only served to further anger the teacher. Just as the boy was walking out of the classroom, after the bell rang, she noticed the familiar looking headphones bunched in his hand.

She ignored this when she noticed Emma still sitting in the chair at the back of the room. Before she was able to say anything, Killian called out to her and beckoned her over. She rushed out the door without another word. At lunchtime, just like the day before, she found the two locked in an exaggerated kiss, pressed up against the lockers. Emma's eyes were squeezed shut, but not because she was enjoying herself. She was clearly uncomfortable. This time, Regina refused to stand idly by.

"Break it up, you two," she snapped. "No PDA. You're in a school, not a bar."

 _You're too pretty for him,_ she wanted to say, but quickly pushed the thought away and dismissed it from her mind.  _Totally inappropriate._ Surprisingly, the two did separate, but not without a fierce scowl from the boy in the teacher's direction.

"You can go fuck yourself, Miss Mills," he growled, stealing one last wet kiss from his girlfriend, who quickly backed away.

"Come on, Killian. Just leave it. Plenty of time for this later, right?"

"Yeah, whatever."

With that, he grabbed her hand and pulled her roughly down the hallway. From what Regina could see, it looked as though his grip was hard enough to bruise.


	3. Just a Performance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: It's gonna get graphic. (Attempted rape)

As luck would have it, the massive snowstorm that dumped on the city that night meant that some of the subway tracks were frozen, and therefore, the trains in some areas had been closed for the following day. One of those trains was the one Regina took to work each day, and therefore, she would need to take her car to school (unless she wanted to freeze on the extremely long walk in her thin, under-insulated jacket, without gloves). That being said, she was terrified. The old car – an antique in exceedingly rough shape – had been in the shop numerous times for expensive repairs, but that had been during college, when her parents paid her way. Now, she had no money to have its problems fixed. If it broke down again, it was done for good.

Knowing this, she carefully slipped into the vehicle and gingerly turned the key in the ignition. She was more than relieved when she heard the engine turn over and start to run. The fact that it turned on was a start. Still, she was panicked and felt as though it would crumble and combust at any moment. With a small stroke of luck, she made it to school just fine, in silence (the car radio was broken and had been for years). Unfortunately, her car's presence was not discrete, and it was noticed by her two worst students as she shut its driver's side door and entered the building.

"Oh, man," Killian said happily, throwing his arm around his girlfriend's waist as he looked at his other companions. "This is too damn good."

"What?" she asked, looking around.

"Robin, you with me?" he wanted to know, nodding to his friend as he ignored the girl's question.

When the other boy nodded back, the group's leader grinned and pulled a large, serrated knife from his pocket and advanced toward the rusted vehicle parked behind the school.

"Killian, wait," Emma managed to squeak out, but he clearly had no problem ignoring her protests.

"Robin, you get the two on the left and I'll get these ones."

"All of 'em?"

"Do it, Robin!"

"You got it, Boss."

"Killian!" Emma cried as he made a move for the front tire with his blade.

" _What?_ " the boy hissed, turning on her with a scowl and pointing the knife in her direction. "Do you have a fucking _problem_ , Swan?"

"I…"

"Do you?"

"N-No…"

"Then shut the fuck up, before we start thinking you're on that bitch's side."

"I'm not!" Emma cried. "I just-"

"I said  _shut up._ Don't make me say it again. Now, make yourself useful and keep a lookout."

With a nod of her head, she backed away and allowed the two boys to vandalize the vehicle. Once the tires were slashed and deflated, they took their keys to each side of the vehicle and drew various profane words and images. The blonde stood helplessly by, watching for teachers and staff who might be coming around the corner or pulling into the parking lot. Just when they were finishing up, Emma spotted a car pulling in.

"Guys!" she cried. "Principal!"

In a heartbeat, they ran around to the front of the building and hurried inside to their first class, which happened to be with Miss Mills.

The classroom was less rowdy that day. Mostly, because they were muttering amongst themselves about the morning's previous activities. This, of course, the teacher was oblivious to. She was just happy to have the usual volume of the group turned down to a low rumble. Even if they weren't paying attention, at least she was able to get the words out. Eventually, though, the group grew bored with discussing the adventure, and their leader decided to spice things up a little.

"So, why aren't you married?" Killian asked, when the teacher opened up the room to questions about the book they were reading.

"That's… I…" Regina tried, but was clearly caught off guard by the question.

"Oh, yeah," the boy laughed. "That's right. You're hideous, have absolutely no personality, and have the most uninteresting job on the market."

The class erupted with laughter. Everyone except Emma. But when her boyfriend shot her a stern glance, she forced out the sound. Still, she kept her head down and refused to look at the teacher that her classmates were staring at. Quickly, Killian came up with another idea as the teacher stood awkwardly in silence at the front of the room. When he grabbed his water bottle and cocked it back, though, Emma quickly leaned in and took it from him.

Regina saw this out of the corner of her eye and was more than surprised by the gesture. Why would this girl stand up to her boyfriend just to stop him from hurting her? It didn't make sense.

When this happened, though, Killian leaned in close to the girl and hissed, "You better get with the fucking program right now, or you're going to be real sorry." She hesitated, so he added, "I mean it. Right now. Do something. Prove you're not a teacher's pet."

Her mouth fell open, but as soon as she saw his hands clench into fists, she cocked her own arm back and chucked the thick plastic bottle towards the front of the room, landing the blow directly in the middle of Regina's face, just as her boyfriend had done the other day. This time, though, the students quickly saw blood pouring from the woman's nose as the teacher held her hands up to catch it.

"Shit," Regina cursed under her breath as her eyes watered.

Without saying anything else, she ran to the bathroom and covered her nose with paper towels. When ten minutes had gone by without an end to the bleeding, she resolved to go to the nurse. After telling the class to use the rest of the period as a study hall, she did just that, refusing to tell the kind woman what had happened.

"You've got quite a bruise forming…" the nurse commented as she held and ice pack up to the teacher's face.

"I… I'm fine," the brunette muttered. "Just need it to stop bleeding so I can get back to work."

She did this as soon the blood stopped flowing. Once back in the classroom, her dark, still-watering eyes landed on Emma, whose head was down on the desk.

"Emma," the teacher said coldly. "I want you in the principal's office, and I expect you to report to detention every day for the next week."

At first, the girl looked disappointed, almost sad, but not angry. Just as Regina was noticing this, though, Killian shot her a glare, and she immediately changed her demeanor.

"THAT'S BULLSHIT!" the girl forced herself to scream, still looking unsure of herself.

When she looked to her boyfriend for some kind of approval, he was smiling.

"Fuck you," the blonde added. "I'm not going to the fucking principal's office."

"Now, Emma. This isn't a discussion. Get out of my classroom."

"Tell her what's what, Emma," Killian encouraged her, giving her shoulder a shove.

"You know what? Fine. I hate this fucking class anyway," Emma told the woman, making herself scowl as convincingly as possible.

Then, she looked around the room, noticing the number of eyes on her, then looked up toward the teacher's desk. Before exiting the room, she stomped up to the front and grabbed Regina's chair, using her strong muscles to throw it into the corner. Two of the legs broke on impact, and though Emma's stomach dropped from guilt, she continued her rampage.

"I'm not fucking intimidated by you," she hissed.

"Yeah, Emma!" Robin shouted. "Fucking tell her!"

"Do it, babe!" Killian chimed in.

"Emma, just leave!" Regina shot back.

"Fuck you!" Emma cursed darkly, then shoved the teacher backwards until she crashed into the desk.

When the woman's glasses fell off and dropped to the floor, Emma looked up into Regina's eyes. As their broken but still glistening light reached her own, the blonde's heart stopped.  _Shit,_ she was thinking.  _She's fucking beautiful._ But her boyfriend was shouting something behind her, and she knew she had to make her next move, unless she wanted to get into (and stay in) deep shit. Before storming out of the room, Emma reached down and grabbed the woman's glasses. Though she wanted to throw up, she knew how important her performance was, and as such, she extended her hand to the teacher. As soon as the woman reached out in confusion to take the glasses back, Emma crushed them in her hand and allowed the pieces to drop to the floor.

After school, when Emma was leaving detention, she found her boyfriend standing in the hallway by her locker, waiting for her.

"That was awesome, babe," he told her. "I was starting to think you'd gone soft."

"I haven't gone soft," the girl muttered, staring down at her feet.

"Let's go find that bitch and show her who the fuck runs this place."

"What? Killian… There's no point."

"You are fucking soft!"

"I am not! I fucking shoved her into the desk and chucked her chair across the room and broke it! I just… I don't wanna get suspended, ya know?"

"Who gives a shit about that? Look, we're gonna take care of that bitch once and for all. I'm gonna get Robin. You go find her and text me when you know where she is."

"But I-"

"Now, Emma!"

With a weak nod, she turned and hurried around the corner of the empty hallway. It wasn't long before she found the teacher, who was standing near the janitor's closet, leaning against the wall as fragile tears streamed down her cheeks. Surely, she'd seen the damage to her car. Emma's first thought, as much as she hated to realize it, was to comfort the woman. To apologize. Instead, she simply stomped over, opened the door, and shoved the woman into the closet.

"Fuck you," Emma said simply, then shut the door and locked it.

After a quick text to Killian saying that one of the teachers had told her that Miss Mills had already started walking home for the night (obviously unable to take her car), Emma caught up with her 'friends' and began to walk home with the group.

Of course, after quite a bit of banging on the closet door and many pleas of, 'Um…. Help?' one of the teachers finally found Regina and opened the door for her.

"What the hell were you doing in the janitor's closet?" the man asked her sternly. "You-"

"I was… I was looking for paper towels and the door shut behind me…" she lied, blushing brightly and turning her face away.

The man was handsome, and she noticed. Not because she was attracted to him, but because she could tell that he looked right through her. Everyone did. Regardless of the fact that she was uninterested in a relationship – she had no time and no emotional energy to give to anyone else – it still hurt to know that no one saw her as beautiful, or even as someone to be valued and respected. She could tell exactly what the man thought of her, which wasn't much.

"Thanks," she finally muttered. "Sorry."

She was too embarrassed to ask for a ride home, so she simply gathered her briefcase and left the building, starting off on the long, slow walk back to her apartment as she hugged her inadequate jacket tightly around herself. It was dark when she neared her home. A few blocks before her building, she found the last people she wanted to see sitting on a familiar doorstep. It was Emma's building, and she was sitting with Killian, Robin, and two other boys in their class as they laughed and talked loudly amongst themselves. She could tell that the boys were intoxicated, which made her nervous, so she attempted to hurry past them without looking. Still, she was unable to tear her eyes away as she watched Killian roughly gripping Emma's arm and looking at her sternly as he slurred drunken words that Regina couldn't quite hear. She was relieved to see that there seemed to be no fresh bruises, though, so she quickly turned her face away and continued to walk towards her apartment, which was a just few buildings away. Before she could slip past them, though, she was noticed by the group.

"HEEEYYY, Regina!" Killian drawled. "What's a dumb broad like you doing out so late? Don't you know there's men out here who'll beat the shit out of you for being so hideous?"

"Excuse me, but I have to be going," the teacher replied calmly, even though inside, she was far beyond uncomfortable. "You have a nice evening."

"Oh, I think you should join us," the boy said slowly, standing up and staggering over to her as he clutched his bottle of liquor that was covered with a paper bag.

"Have a nice night, guys."

Regina turned away in the direction of her apartment, but Killian roughly grabbed her arm and jerked her back.

"No one walks away from me, bitch," he warned her. "Sit down."

When the teacher quickly shook her head and began to look panicked, Emma started to stand up. Regina began to pull away, but Killian held her tightly. Seeing that Emma had made a move, though, Robin grabbed her wrist and jerked her back down so that she was once again sitting on the steps.

"Sit down and shut up," Robin warned the girl, echoing his friend's words and looking at her with stern, dark eyes.

"Killian, please," the teacher protested. "You're obviously drunk, and I-"

"Shut up," the boy snapped, staring into her eyes. "I said sit down."

"You're drunk."

"That," he began, "doesn't matter."

When the woman still had not complied with his request, he quickly pushed her backwards until she stumbled and fell down on the stairs, scraping her back on the concrete steps. It hurt, but she was going to do everything possible to prevent herself from showing him that. Instead, she moved to stand up, but the pain pushed her back down, until she fell back into Emma.

The girl's mouth fell open, and when she moved to help Regina sit up, Robin tightened his grip on her wrist, holding her in place. Finally, Regina at least managed to sit up on her own.

"Killian," she protested, her voice soft and weak as she stared up at the boy, her eyes pleading for him to stop.

But of course, the boy was far from done harassing her.

"You look like you could use a good fuck," he taunted with a grin, stepping dangerously close to her. "I bet you've never had one." Then, he looked up at his friends and asked, "What do you think, boys? Think she's ever had the D?"

"No  _way_ ," Robin answered with a chuckle. "Who'd want to fuck this cunt?"

Regina's mouth fell open, but no words of protest came out. She was too shocked to move or speak.

"Maybe we should do her a favor," Killian said darkly.

"Huh?" his friend replied.

"Let's show her what a good fuck feels like."

"Whoa, Killian… That's-"

"You a pussy or something?" the other boy snapped. "I didn't think you were as soft as a fuckin' flaccid cock."

"I'm not!" Robin cried. "I-"

"Then shut up and hold the bitch still."


	4. A Close Call

Emma stared in horror as Robin let go of her wrist and grabbed both of Regina's arms from behind, holding her still.

"Hold her ankles. I don't wanna get kicked in the fuckin' nuts," Killian said to the other two boys, who obeyed him instantly. "Fuck, man," the boy grumbled, unzipping his fly and reaching into his pants to stroke himself. "How'm I supposed to get it up for this hag? Goddammit."

"Oh, my God, Killian," Emma finally said breathlessly, as she stood up. "You're not serious."

"Shut the  _fuck_ up, Emma. Shut the FUCK up. You move once and I'll beat the shit out of you."

"I-" she tried again, but her boyfriend shot her a threatening glare, and she knew all too well what it meant.

Once she'd sat back down, Killian once again turned his attention to the teacher on the steps, but before he could make another move, Robin quickly blurted shouted, "COPPER! Let's go!"

"Drag her into the alley!" Killian ordered, reaching out to grab his girlfriend's wrist and do the same with her.

Once the all six of them were behind the building in the alleyway, the boys shoved the woman down on the ground until she was lying flat on her back and resumed their positions, with their leader once again kneeling between the teacher's legs.

"Killian," Emma pleaded, stepping forward, but her boyfriend quickly shoved her away until she stumbled against the brick wall behind her.

"Ugh, Jesus," he groaned, once again groping himself. "How am I supposed to-"

"Come on, man," Robin hissed. "I want a turn and I'm already hard. Just hurry up."

"KILLIAN!" Regina finally screamed, tears of intense fear pouring from her eyes. "Killian, please!"

"Shut up! All of you! I'm… Oh, fuck… Alright, alright. I'm going," the boy announced, dropping his trousers and boxers to expose himself fully, then reaching out to jerk Regina's pants down past her thighs to expose her as well. At that point, she was sobbing loudly and thrashing in the grip of all four boys who were holding her. Just as Killian positioned himself at her entrance, though, Emma pulled her knife from her boot and lunged forward. Once she was behind him and her knife was against his throat, she tried to catch her breath, but found that her lungs remained empty and gasping for air.

"Don't. Fucking. Move," she hissed. "You can beat me. You can rape me. You can do whatever you want to me. But you. Will. Not. Touch her."

"JESUS, GUYS!" he screamed, scowling at his partners in crime. "FUCKING  _DO_  SOMETHING!"

But none of them were currently armed, so when they advanced and Emma pointed the knife at them, dragging her boyfriend to his feet, they backed up quickly.

"Leave, now, or I'll slit your fucking throat," Emma threatened the boy who was locked in her vice grip. "We're done."

"Fuck you, slut," Killian hissed. "You're gonna regret this."

"Maybe," the girl conceded. "But I don't care. Just stay the fuck away from her."

"Yeah, whatever," he growled, tearing himself away as the girl loosened her grip.

The boys walked away, scowling at the two girls. Once they were gone, Emma dropped to her knees beside the sobbing woman and carefully slipped her hand behind Regina's neck to gently lift her until she was sitting up.

"Are you alright?" Emma asked anxiously. "I… I'm…"

Even though the teacher opened her mouth to speak, the only sounds that came out were heavy sobs.

"Miss Mills, I'm so sorry… I never should have let it get this far. I just… I never thought he'd actually… I…"

"I'm fine," the woman snapped.

Regina quickly pulled away, but Emma cautiously wrapped her arm around the woman's back.

"You're not fine, and I am so, so sorry."

Even Emma's eyes were watering as she looked at the broken woman who was frantically moving to lift her pants back up to cover herself.

"Let me help you home," the girl said softly, tucking some of Regina's hair behind her ear. "I don't want you to walk alone."

Regina wanted to protest, to tell this girl to fuck off, to leave her alone, but those weren't the words that came out.

Instead, she said, "What about you?"

The blonde shook her head and sighed, saying, "I'll be fine. Let's get you home."

"I…"

"Shh. It's alright. I'm gonna make sure you get home okay."

"Emma…"

"Shh. C'mon. Let's go."

With that, Emma lifted her off the ground and put her arm around the woman's waist. The blonde led her teacher back to her apartment and opened the door for her, after taking the keys from the woman's purse. After some protests from Regina, the student helped the woman into her bedroom and pulled back the covers for her. Once the brunette sat down on the edge of the bed, she began to cry again.

Without thinking, she blurted out, through tears, "I just wanted to help them. I just wanted to teach them and support them and-"

"I know, hun. I know. I can see how hard you try. You just… You have a horrible class, you know? We're all going to this school for a reason. We're troubled kids. We're rotten. We're all already horrible people, and we-"

"You're not, Emma," Regina managed to sniffle, wiping her eyes with a tissue. "I know you read that book."

"I…"

"You don't have to pretend when we're alone. I get why you pretend in class, but don't do it here."

"Hey, listen… I'm-"

"You like to read, don't you?"

"Miss Mills…"

"I know you do."

"It… It's a good book, alright? I-"

"You don't have to play tough, you know. Soon, you're going to graduate and hopefully leave all this behind. You could even go to college after a year off, if you bring your grades up a little before the end of the year."

"That's ridiculous. I'd never get into college. I-"

"Just think about it, okay?"

"No. I'm never going to-"

"Okay, fine. But if you ever want help with your homework… with anything… just come to me, okay? We can do it after school when no one else is around. No one has to know."

"We're gonna do it after school, huh?" Emma joked with a wink, carefully trying to bring the mood up.

"Emma…"

"What?"

"I'm being serious."

"Yeah, well-"

"It's okay. You should go, though. You really shouldn't be here at all…"

"I'm eighteen. I can do what I want."

"We're not… I…"

"Okay."

"Emma…"

"I'm gonna go. If you don't show up at school tomorrow… If you take a sick day… I'll come by and check on you after school."

"You don't have to do that."

"I'm worried about you. What just happened to you was-"

"It didn't happen to me, thanks to you. I'm just… I'm ashamed to have been so… exposed… to all of them… and…"

"What?"

"I know what they were doing was wrong, but I still feel… I feel disgusting. I do feel like no one would ever want me. They were right about that."

"That's not true."

"It absolutely is. I'm-"

"There's nothing wrong with you."

"Surely, you're not serious."

"I should go. Try to rest, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

Before Regina could reply, the girl was gone.

The next morning, she did call the school to inform them that she was going to take a sick day. She spent the day on the couch, un-showered, eating nothing, and barely drinking water. She didn't even bother to turn on the television. Of course, she didn't actually expect Emma to turn up at her door, but around five in the evening, she heard the sound of knocking.

She opened the door quickly, appearing in her sweatpants and a loose T-shirt.

"Emma… I-" she tried, but was quickly cut off by Emma's words.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm… I'm alright."

"Good. Can I come in for a while?"

"I… It's not a good idea, Emma. We should really-"

"Come on. Just for a little bit. Just to see if you're really alright."

"I…"

"You haven't eaten, have you?"

"What? I mean… I…"

"Do you like Chinese food?"

"Emma, you don't-"

"Okay. Chinese food it is. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"I should… shower… and dress… and-"

"No. You should relax. Just go lay down, okay? I'll be back with the grub in a little bit."

As promised, Emma left and returned with the food twenty-five minutes later. When the girl set the container of take-out on the coffee table in front of the couch where Regina was siting, the woman looked at it apprehensively.

"What? What's the matter?" the blonde asked anxiously. "Is… Is this okay?"

"You shouldn't have done this. I-"

"You need to eat."

"I'm fine."

"Eat something."

"Emma…"

"Please."

With a sigh, Regina cautiously opened the lid of the container and stared down at the food. Upon sight, her stomach twisted and growled, causing Emma to let out a soft, bright laugh that made the brunette's stomach turn even more.

"Come on, hun," the blonde said softly. "You're hungry. At least take a few bites for me?"

Reluctantly, Regina used the fork to take the few bites requested of her, then stopped.

When her stomach rumbled again, though, Emma pressed, "A little more."

Fighting the urge to throw up what she'd already eaten, Regina took a few more small bites.

"There," the student encouraged her. "That's it. A few more bites."

Only after the woman had finished half of what was in the container did Emma eat her share. She couldn't relax, though. She continued to watch Regina as the teacher stared down at the floor.

"It's alright," Emma finally assured her. "You're gonna be okay. I promise." When Regina didn't respond, she added, "You need to report them."

"What?! " Regina gasped. "No!"

"They tried to rape you!"

The brunette's stomach dropped at the words.

"I…"

"Someone needs to stop them. What if they do this to someone else?"

"Emma, I can't."

"You have to."

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can. I'll go with you. I'll be your witness."

"You can't do that. They'll kill you."

"I can hold my own."

"Obviously, you can't," Regina said, her voice low as she stared at the bruises on Emma's face.

"Shut up," Emma snapped. "You have no fucking idea what you're talking about."

Shocked at the reaction, the brunette stood up and walked to the door.

"You shouldn't be here, Emma. You should go."

"You have to report them, Regina. You can't wait."

"I'm done talking about this. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"If you don't report this, I won't go to class."

"Are you kidding me? Emma, you can't do that."

"I sure as shit can. You think I give a fuck?"

"Emma, please. I want you to pass!"

"Then let's go to the station and get this over with."

"I  _can't._ "

"Come on. I'll go with you. You don't have to do this alone."

"I can't."

"Alright. Then I'll see you tomorrow  _after_ school, then."

"Emma,  _please._ Stop it. You need to-"

" _You_ need to  _not_ let them get away with this."

" _Emma,_ goddammit! Let it go! It's over!"

"Maybe for you. What about the next girl they-"

"Alright! Jesus Christ! Fine! Let's go."

Once they arrived at the police station, Regina hesitated at the door.

"You can do this," Emma whispered, taking the woman's hand and squeezing it. "I know you can."

By the time they were done giving statements, Regina was sobbing again. The brunette collapsed on the sidewalk outside the building and buried her face in her hands. When Emma knelt down beside her and wrapped her arms around her, Regina shivered from the touch. The only people who had ever embraced her were her parents, and her ex boyfriend Daniel, who she'd been with for less than two months when she was in high school. It was a strange feeling. It made her uncomfortable. But when Emma squeezed her tighter, feeling the heaving of the woman's chest, she finally allowed her arms to slip around the girl and join the embrace.

After Emma walked her home that night and they'd said their goodbyes, they both lay awake in bed, worrying about each other. Emma was concerned for Regina's emotional wellbeing, and Regina was worried about retaliation from the boys she'd betrayed. Luckily for both of them, all four of the boys were brought down to the station that night, and each of them was arrested and kept for questioning.

The next day in class, the students were extra rowdy, mostly discussing the whereabouts of their classmates, but Regina focused hard on her lesson and tried to control her emotions throughout the class period. Emma, for once, kept her attention fixated on the teacher at the front of the class, and openly displayed the textbook on her desk as she followed along with the pages the woman was discussing. During the second half of the period, Regina passed out a test on the material they'd been covering over the past few weeks. When she dropped the packet of papers on Emma's desk, the girl looked up at her apprehensively, appearing nervous and unsure. The teacher just nodded and gave her a weak smile, then walked away without a word. At the end of the class, the blonde hung back until the rest of the students had filed out of the room, then slowly approached Regina's desk.

"I'm happy to see you back at school," she said shyly, setting her paper down in front of the teacher.

"I'm actually glad to be back. Maybe it doesn't seem like it, but this is what I love. I know I'm bad at it, but I do have passion for this profession, and I believe that it's important. I wouldn't want to be away from this for long."

"You could use a vacation," Emma chuckled.

"Maybe so, but I'll never take one."

"Why not?"

"That's… That's not important. Anyway, how do you think you did on the test? Did you study?"

"Well… Not exactly… I've been a bit… you know… preoccupied?"

"Oh, shit," Regina cursed, unable to stop the words from falling out. "Emma, I'm so sorry… My baggage shouldn't be affecting your academic performance! I…"

"No, it's not that. I had time to study last night, but I didn't. I did read the book, though…"

"And did you like it?"

"I thought it was bullshit." There was a long pause before Emma started to laugh, then added, "It's the best book I've ever read. I never thought I'd like  _Catcher in the Rye_ , but it really was amazing. I can relate to Holden, you know? It's… Wow, that's stupid. Anyway, yeah, I liked it…"

"I'm glad. It's my favorite book too."

"Yeah?"

"Mhmm."

"Miss Mills… I don't think I did so hot on that test…"

"Why not?"

"Because, like I said, I didn't study. I know the book, but the analysis of everything is just… It's a little over my head."

"Stay after school today, and I'll help you with the material. You can retake the test tomorrow, and I'll average the two grades."

"What? Isn't that cheating?"

"No, actually. It's in the syllabus. You can retake one test per semester and have the two grades averaged. No one's ever asked me to do it before though. Actually, I don't think anyone even bothered to read the syllabus."

"Yeah, I, uh… I definitely didn't read that. Usually, they just say, 'These are the books we're reading this year. Don't use your cell phone in class.'"

Regina laughed at this and shook her head.

"That's true. Anyway, what do you say? Would you like some help?"

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to keep you late…"

"It's my job, Emma. This is what I'm supposed to do."

"Alright… I… I'll see you after school then."

Before Emma left the classroom, though, she gave the teacher a once-over, noticing – and not for the first time – that the woman truly was beautiful.


	5. Extra Help

After school, Regina waited anxiously for her student to join her in the classroom. She sat at her desk with her legs crossed, nervously looking at the clock every few seconds.  _Did she bail?_ the woman wondered.  _Maybe she's just in the bathroom._ After thirty minutes, Regina began to pack her things, assuming that Emma had forgotten or changed her mind about their appointment. Just as she stood up from her desk, the girl appeared in the doorway holding a paper towel up to her nose.

"I'm so sorry," the blonde mumbled through the towel. "I… One of Killian's friends… I… I'm sorry I'm late. I didn't mean to keep you."

"Emma, what happened?! Did someone hurt you?!"

"I'm fine," the girl muttered. "It's not important, okay? Let's just do this."

"You're bleeding."

"I'm not… Okay, maybe I am, but so what? I'm fine. I've got a paper towel, and I-"

"It's soaked."

Regina was right. The towel was almost completely red.

"It's fine!"

"Let me get you my handkerchief," the brunette said softly, reaching into her bag and pulling out her paperwork, the book they were studying, and a red bandana.

She held the piece of fabric out to Emma, but the girl didn't take it. Instead, Emma simply stared at her and continued to hold the bloodied towel up to her face.

Finally, after a long, awkward pause, Regina said, "I'm so sorry I got you involved in this. So,  _so_ sorry, Emma. Please, just let me help you."

So Emma slowly and reluctantly removed the paper towel from her face, but before any more blood could drip down onto her lip, the teacher leaned in and gently pressed the handkerchief beneath her nose.

"Lean your head back," she said calmly. "The bleeding will stop soon."

The blonde did as she was told, and Regina held her hand there for some time before the bleeding finally stopped and she pulled away carefully. After tossing the handkerchief in the trash can beside her desk, she turned back to Emma.

"We can do this some other time, Emma. It doesn't have to be now. You should go home and rest. You've got bruises forming all over, and-"

"No… Please. I want… I want to learn this now."

With an eyebrow raised, Regina opened the book and began to discuss its contents with the student, who paid close attention to every word.

After forty minutes or so of back-and-forth discussion about the plot, the characters, and the symbolism in the story, Emma looked up from the pages of her book and into the teacher's dark brown eyes.

"Regina," she said softly.

Hearing her first name slip past Emma's lips made Regina's heart stop. The sound was intoxicating, and it gave her goose bumps in all the worst places.

"I'm so sorry for what I did in class the other day. Killian… I mean… I… I wasn't really angry." After a long bout of silence, Emma continued, saying, "You look beautiful. Especially without your glasses."

Again, the brunette's heart stopped. This had to be a joke. A cruel joke. A-

"Regina?"

"I…"

"That's why I broke your glasses. I knew you'd look even more beautiful than you already did, and I wanted everyone else to see it too."

"That's… That's…" Regina tried, but couldn't get the rest of the words out.

"It's true. You're beautiful."

Again, Emma made her next move before the teacher could speak. This time, though, it wasn't in the form of words. She leaned in and tucked a strand of dark hair behind Regina's ear, then caught her gaze again. When Regina didn't pull away and simply displayed a look of shock on her face, the blonde took her chance to press their lips together slowly in a gentle, unhurried kiss.

"Emma…" the brunette gasped. "We can't-"

"It's getting dark," the girl said suddenly, sitting up and pulling away. "We should get back before the sun sets. I don't want you out at night."

 _She's worried about me?_ Regina was thinking, as her head spun in confusion.  _But-_

Emma quickly stood and grabbed the teacher's hand, saying, "Come on. We need to leave."

"Emma…" Regina tried, but the blonde tugged her forcefully out of the classroom, only letting go of her wrist once they were in the hallway.

They walked back to their area of the city together, only stopping when they reached Emma's apartment.

"G-Goodnight, Emma," the brunette stuttered, shifting her weight awkwardly from one foot to the other.

"No way," the girl said sternly. "I'm walking you home."

"It's only two blocks, and I-"

"I don't care. I'm making sure you get home safe."

"What about you?"

"I'm fine. I'm armed."

"You're  _what?_ " the woman gasped loudly, spinning to the side to stare at Emma.

"Shut up," the student hissed. "Just walk."

To surprised to respond, Regina did as she was told and allowed Emma to walk her to her door.

"Thank you, Emma," the woman sighed, choosing to ignore the girl's previous comment and assume that by 'armed,' she meant with her knife. "Be safe, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

"Actually… I, um…"

"What is it?"

"I'm still not so confident about my, um… My test tomorrow…"

"Oh… OH! Um… If you want… If you want to come in, we could…"

"Are you sure? I don't want to take up your evening with my-"

"I'm sure. We probably shouldn't… but come on in. I want you to do well, you know. I care about your performance in school."

Once inside, the teacher looked around awkwardly and tried to figure out an appropriate way to continue the conversation, but was distracted by Emma lifting her shirt half way to reveal a holstered pistol strapped to her waist. As Regina stared, the girl un-sheathed the weapon and set it down on the coffee table.

"What the fuck is that?" Regina asked, gaping at the gun.

"Protection."

"Emma, you can't have a-"

"If you knew how many times it's saved my life, you wouldn't say that. The only reason Killian backed off when I nearly knifed him was because he knew I was packing this too."

When she considered this answer, the brunette was unable to come up with another protest. Though the gun's presence in her apartment made her nervous, she trusted Emma to wield the weapon responsibly (legally or not). Still, she couldn't come up with anything to say next as her thoughts traveled back to the traumatizing events of the other night.

What she finally decided on was, "Do you want something to drink?"

"Crown Royal?" the girl laughed, setting her bag down carefully on the floor beside the coffee table.

"First of all," Regina started, unable to hold back a grin, "you are  _not_ old enough to be drinking. Second of all, I can't afford Crown Royal."

"I'll settle for some cheap whiskey then."

"Emma," the woman chucked. "Stop it. You're too-"

"Young. Yeah, yeah," Emma sighed. "But you know…"

"What?"

"I'm not  _that_ young…"

 _What is that supposed to mean?_ Regina was thinking as her gaze inadvertently dropped from Emma's eyes to her soft, pink lips. When Emma stepped closer, the teacher's body gave its usual reaction by stopping her heart.

"Emma…"

"I like the way you say my name."

At this, Regina turned a dark shade of red and looked away, setting her bag down on top of the coffee table.

"We should get to work."

"Okay."

So the two sat down on the couch, quietly pouring over pages of the novel and even more pages of notes. Emma gave frequent nods of understanding, and even jotted down some words in her notebook. Eventually, a proud smile spread over Regina's lips. Finally, she was making a difference, if only in one person's life. Still, her mind was mostly elsewhere, and she had to fight hard to keep her attention on the task at hand. All her mind wanted to think about was the way Emma's lips had touched hers.  _It was a mistake,_ she told herself.  _Just a mistake._

But eventually, Emma stopped nodding and giving 'Mhmm's of comprehension. She'd begun to stare, directly at Regina, and when the teacher turned her head to check that Emma was still following her, their eyes met.

"W-What?" the woman stuttered, upon realizing that Emma had no plans to speak.

"You're beautiful," Emma said simply, her gaze softening as she fell deeply into the pool of Regina's brown orbs.

"Emma… Please, don't… I'm… I'm your teacher, and I-"

"I know. I know. I just… I can't help it. I see so much in you."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that everything Killian and his stupid gang said about you was wrong."

"That's not true at all. They were exactly right about me. Only one person has ever been attracted to me, and that was back in high school. It lasted two months, before he was killed. We never slept together. He probably would have thrown up afterwards, anyway."

"Regina," the blonde sighed, "I'm sorry about your boyfriend, but you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a lover."

"That's ridic-"

"And it's also not true that only one person has ever been attracted to you."

"What do you mean? Daniel was the only one who-"

"I'm attracted to you."

"Emma, I'm your  _teacher!_ " Regina cried, exasperated by the girl's persistence. "We can't-"

"Yes, we can. I'm eighteen. I can do what I want to, and so can you."

"Not if you're a student. It's unethical!"

"Are you going to give me an A just because we're together?"

"We're  _not_ together!"

"If we were."

"Well, no, but-"

"Would you play favorites in class?"

"No…"

"Then there's nothing wrong with it."

"The school board won't see it that way."

"Oh, come on, Regina. Who's going to tell the school board? Who has to know?"

"Emma…"

"Regina. Look at me."

When the woman lifted her head, Emma caught her chin in her hand and held it up so that their eyes met.

"Tell me you don't see me the same way," the girl said. "Tell me this doesn't make your heart race."

But of course, this would have been a lie. Her heart was racing, and the closer Emma moved to her on the couch, the more heat she felt flooding her body.

"Come on," the blonde pressed. "Tell me."

But the girl's hands had wandered to Regina's thighs and were slowly sliding over them. Regina's heart was in her throat, and it stopped her from protesting or even speaking at all. Emma was in complete control.

"You can't, can you?"

Regina shook her head.

"Then kiss me."

Again, the teacher shook her head, but this time, Emma caught her lips and tangled her fingers in the woman's hair. As the kiss deepened, a soft moan slipped past Regina's lips.

"Em," she muttered, closing her eyes as the girl continued to connect their lips.

"Shhh," the blonde said softly. "Just be with me."

Soon, Emma had Regina laying on her back on the couch and was pressed between her legs, causing unintentional but welcomed friction in the woman's most sensitive area.

"Em," Regina moaned, finally allowing her hands to wander until they were pressed against Emma's back.

The new nickname drove Emma wild, and the louder the woman's moans became, the more wet she became, until her panties were soaked with her own arousal.

After a few more minutes of tender kisses and heavy caressing, they were both panting for air.

"Regina… Do you want me to stop?" the girl managed between breaths. "If you want me to stop, I'll-"

When she started to pull away, though, Regina quickly gripped her arms and pulled her back down gently.

"No… It's… It's okay… You don't… You don't have to stop."

"If this is your first time, it should be-"

"Emma… It's okay."

"I just… I wanna be the one to show you what it feels like… I've thought about this so many times…"

Instead of speaking, the brunette simply blushed and turned her face away.

"Don't look away," the girl whispered. "I want to look you in the eyes when I touch you."

This was too much for Regina to handle, and as she started to sit up, she felt the entire room spin. Heat washed over her again and again.

"Do you want me to take you to the bedroom?" Emma asked her softly, stroking her cheek with her thumb as she spoke the words.

When Regina nodded, Emma took her hand to help her off the couch and led her to the bedroom, where Regina sat down anxiously on the bed.

"Get up, silly. We've gotta pull the covers back. Unless you don't want to be under the sheets?"

"I… I don't… I don't know. I… I've never done this before, and-"

"Shhh," the girl said sweetly. "Pull down the covers and lie back." When Regina did as she was told, Emma slipped beneath the covers with her and positioned herself between her legs again. "I'm crazy about you," she continued, as her hands wandered over Regina's sides. "I've thought about this for so long."

Her student's words made Regina's stomach flip, and as if this wasn't bad enough, Emma had begun to remove her shirt.

"W-Wait," the teacher stuttered. "I…"

"You're beautiful, Regina. You don't have to be scared of me. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna make you feel good…"

After receiving a nod giving her permission to do exactly that, Emma removed the rest of the items of clothing that stood between them and resumed kissing the woman with increasing depth and passion. As Emma's fingers worked their magic and their bodies crashed together, Regina began to feel as though her heart might explode in her chest. Nothing had ever felt so good. At least, not until she reached her orgasm, which shocked her body and made her legs shake. After switching positions so that Regina could return the gesture (though her performance was far more reserved and much less confident), Emma was also worked into an orgasm.

"Ah, fuck… Regina," she moaned, coming hard around the woman's fingers. "Fuck..."

By the time Emma was finished, Regina was completely red with embarrassment, terrified that her actions were less than acceptable.

"Babe," Emma whispered sleepily. "That was perfect. Come here."

When Regina didn't move, the blonde tugged her down until their bodies molded together once more and Emma's arms were around her, holding her close.

"Emma, I…"

"Shhh. I know. Just sleep. I'll stay until you're dreaming."

"Wait… Emma… I don't…"

"Hmm?"

"I don't want you to leave."

With a raised eyebrow, the girl answered, "Then I won't. I won't leave you until you ask me to."

"I don't think I ever could."

"Regina… I want you to know something…"

"What is it, Em?"

"I've been through a lot of shit in my life… Dealt with a lot of really bad people. And… sex hasn't been… a very… positive part of my life. I haven't really… had… any… good experiences."

"I…" the woman started, but was unable to finish.

"Except you. You're the only person I've ever  _wanted_ to have sex with. Everything else has been… Well… Nevermind. The point is, you're the only one I've ever wanted like this."

"What? Really?"

"The only one."

"But what about-"

"At first, Killian was a political move. You know, to stay on top, socially. By the time I realized what he really was, it was too late to get out."

"Oh, Emma… I…"

"But it's not like that with you. I  _wanted_ you. I still want you." After a pause, she added, "I'm not going to stop wanting you."

Regina went silent, but her smile was obvious, and it made Emma's heart swell. As they fell asleep, lying silently in each other's arms for the first time, nothing else seemed to matter.


End file.
